There are two categories of connection to the Internet: normal, referred to as dial-up and fast, referred to as broadband. Which one you choose will depend on a number of factors, but certainly one of the most important is how fast it needs to be to allow staff to use the Internet efficiently and effectively. If information or data used daily by staff comes from the organisation's website rather than from a computer located in the office, or they need to refer to their organisation's website regularly to assist customers or suppliers (eg - answering telephone enquiries), then a fast connection to the Internet is required.  

If the company's website is stored internally on the company's own web server (a computer that serves out website pages) speed of access will not normally be a problem.  

If a company's website is hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP) the speed of the connection to that ISP is very important. A slow connection could lead to loss of efficiencies, poor customer service and frustration for staff. Where connection speed is important, businesses should consider using a broadband connection.  

Broadband is the term used for any kind of fast Internet access. Broadband is designed to give a business or residential user instant Internet access 24 hours a day. It is fast - generally 10-20 times faster than normal dial-up modems. A typical dial-up modem operates at either 28.8 kbit/s or 56 kbit/s. A broadband connection operates at between 256 kbit/s and 10 Mbit/s, depending on the service selected.   A 150 Kbyte Word document takes about 21 seconds to download using a 56 kbit/s dial-up modem, but less than 1 second on a 1.5 Mbit/s broadband link. Similarly, an 8 Mbyte PowerPoint presentation takes about 19 minutes to download using a 56 kbit/s dial-up modem but only about 43 seconds on a 1.5 Mbit/s broadband link.  

SMEs with large file transfer needs, and those working in highly collaborative environments, most commonly use broadband. Early adopters of broadband include industries such as IT&T, printing and publishing, finance, insurance, banking, legal and accounting. 

What are the benefits of broadband?

• Broadband's high speed gives you access to applications that are either not feasible at the speed of a dial-up connection or just annoyingly slow. For example, broadband can:
  • allow you to transfer large files of text or graphics at high speeds
  • give you instant access to web pages, even those with large amounts of graphics that are typically very slow to download on a dial-up connection
  • allow employees to telecommute, operating from their home or elsewhere with the same response speeds and level of security as if they were in their office
  •  link several computers to the Internet through the same connection - great for multi-user offices
  • make videoconferencing faster, smoother and more practical
  • save money by allowing a business to rationalise and centralise its servers.
• It's always on. As long as your computer is switched on you can be connected to the Internet. This means that you do not waste time dialling up and waiting for your modem to connect you to the Internet every time you go online. You will not be subject to annoying busy signals and less likely to experience drop outs.
• Your phone line is not tied up while using the Internet. Therefore there is no need to pay for a second phone line.
• There are no costly additional dial-up charges to connect each time you use the service.

What to do

Investigate the advantages of broadband and what connection best suits your organisation. These sources should be all you need:

• Click on the following link to access the Broadband for Small Business report by DCITA and SPAN Broadbandxchange.  http://www.dcita.gov.au/communications_and_technology/publications_and_reports/2003/04/broadband_for_small_business

• The Australian Communications and Media Authority provides excellent information on this topic and many issues related to ISPs. Their toolkit includes a list of ISPs, questions to ask ISPs and information that will help you make the right decision about connectivity for your organisation. Access it at: http://www.toolkit.aca.gov.au/internet/index.htm 

• Access the websites of providers to compare costs - look at http://www.broadbandxchange.org which provides a list of broadband providers in Australia.

Hint: If broadband access is appropriate for your business, have it installed while your website is being built so staff have optimum access speed from day one.     

 e-businessguide Case Study - Hourigan Appliance Centre (38 kb)

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